Fear the Phantom
by The Mad Oni
Summary: Damien is a Pokemon Ranger after a would be thief attempts to rob him he finds himself following her to honnen why does she look like someone he knows.
1. Chapter 1

He watched as the smoke swirled from the end of the cigarette in his hand. A bad habit he knew it but it helped his stress. His sister and her husband were on a research trip and the the Pokemon they were studying turned on them, none of the crew survived. He as the only relative was left as the guardian of their children.

"Augustine, You haven't smoked in years is every thing okay?" A familiar voice asked

He blinked breaking his stare at the distance " Oh hello Diantha, I didn't know you'd be coming by."

She frowned coming to stand beside him "If something's wrong you need to tell me Augustine."

He knocked the ash from the cigarette's tip watching as it fell to the stone below "I just found out my sister and brother in-law are dead."

She turned pulling him into a hug " Augustine I'm so sorry I can't imagine how hurt you feel."

The door behind them opened and a pair of children stepped out. The older of the two was a girl with long brown hair and chocolate eye and olive skin wearing pale pink pajamas. The other a boy with inky black hair , ghostly pale skin, and blood red eyes he wearing dark green pajamas.

He pulled back from the hug at the sound of the door " Topaz ,Damien what are you doing up?"

The girl rubbed her arm "Uncle Sycamore, when are mommy and daddy coming to get us?"

He smiled kneeling to their level I'm sorry Topaz but they aren't coming back for a really long time"

Topaz blinks him Uncle Sycamore,what will happen to us?"

Diantha catches Damien before he can hit the floor "Since he's already asleep ,I'd say back to but it's up to your uncle."

He smiled picking up the girl " Well how about this you can stay with me until they come back ,and tomorrow I'll you both to get your first Pokemon would you like that?"

Topaz smiled burying her face in his neck" Thank you Uncle Sycamore."

* * *

Damien sat in his uncle's lab watching as he rushed around like a flustered pidgey. He had just arrived home from his travels in Sinnoh last night to hear that his uncle's mentor Professor Rowan was arriving today with his grand daughter. He knew Rowan was big influence on his uncle but he couldn't understand why he was freaking out.

Damien looks down at the sleeping shiny Umbreon "Shade you're lucky you can sleep through this."

Sycamore turns casting his gaze to the clock on the wall his hands shot to his hair at the time "He'll be here soon and I still have to work on my records."

In front of him stood a large filing cabinet with folders and paper sticking out of it in disaray, next to it stood a bbookshelf full of books all going different directions some in random stacks on the floor next to it.

Sycamore slids to his knees his forehead hitting the floor "I'll never get done before he arrives."

The books began to move through the air arranging themselves on the book shelve in an orderly fashion. They watched in amazement as what ever had organized the books started on the filing cabinet.

Damien sits straighter in his sear " How in the world ?"

Sycamore looks up from the floor to see his talk done " How ,who , what?"

A Gallade had been sitting in the corner watching the Professor freak out with concerned eyes. It was he who cleaned the professor's mess with his psychic power.

Gallade grunted "Gallade."

Sycamore turned bout to thank the Gallade when the door opened and Professor Rowan entered Rowan had a questioning look on his face as he examined his former puppil but he said nothing.

Behind him stood a fair skinned girl with brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore a light pink cotton tank top and dark brown army shorts. Her shoes are black military boots that lace up in the front. She wears her pokéball holster on the right side of her hip. She wears black leather half finger gloves that fasten around the wrists.

Rowan nodded to Sycamore " How have you been Augustine? "

Sycamore gives a weak smile " I've been well Professor Rowan, I trust you've meet my nephew he just returned from Sinnoh."

Rowan turned looking Damien over ,now he wore dark jeans a white shirt a black jacket ,gloves and a black bandana kept his hair back.

Rowan nodded "He actually stopped by my lab one day, I had no idea who he was until you called the following day."

A loud beeping rung through the room suddenly causing everyone but Damien to jump out of their skin.

In a swift motion Damien pushes back his sleeve to reveal a black and red X transceiver "Damien Cruise reporting what's going on?"

The voice on the other line was calm "Something is happening at Prism Tower go check it out."

Damien blinked "Can you explain what's going on before I go charging in so I know what to expect?" He sighed when the line went dead " Looks like I'm off again Uncle Sycamore ,It was nice seeing you again Professor Rowan."

Damien and Shade were out the door in a flash with someone right behind them


	2. Chapter 2

Damien sat perched on the tip of Prism Tower on his Scarmory. He watched as a battle went on below him, he'd arrived earlier but nothing seemed strange so here he sat watching as this same trainer battles countless opponents. He only used a Blaziken no matter what his opponent sent out and never said a word other than attacks or challenges.

Damien leened forward "Razor ,Let's get a closer look."

Razor makes a noise in agreement flapping his wings before taking to the air. Once he felt they we're high enough Razor closed his wings turning his body into a missile. Before they could crash into the ground Razor's wings shot open and he glided to to the ground. Damien returned Razor turning to see the trainer approaching with his Blaziken.

He appeared to be in his teens from his stocky build he couldn't have been much older than fifteen. He had the skin common of the people of Hoenn and his hair and eyes could only be described as dirt. He wore a gray muscle shirt with an odd looking design in green , he also wore faded jeans with flame designs in various places and brown hiking boots.

The trainer eyed Damien scanning him like prey "I see you're a trainer how about a battle?"

Damien turned slidding his hands in his pockets "Sorry I'm not that kind of trainer."

Slowly Damien began to walk away wrapping his fingers around something in his pocket his other hand grabbing a pokeball from his belt. The Blaziken appeared in his path.

The trainer stepped behind him "Do I look stupid to you Damien Cruise I've seen you battle."

Rowan's grand daughter stood in an alley talking to someone over her own X transceiver " From the look of it he's got the situation under control I won't have to get involved." The connection cut off

Damien turned pulling the object from his pocket " You're under arrest for bullying weaker trainers into battles."

The trainer shared a look with his Blaziken "Use Blaze Kick."

Rowan's granddaughter ran out sending out her pachirisu "Thunderbolt."

Damien jumped back as Blaziken's body hit the ground with a thud "Okay now you're under arrest"

The trainer glared at him "You know battling isn't against the law."

Rowan's granddaughter appeared behind him " Actually unless done in an approved location it is, so what did you do with the pokemon you stole? "

The trainer blinked in confusion "I never stole any Pokemon who would even believe that?"

The sond of an engine echoes in the air as officer Jenny walks over "This isn't the culperat ,the guy were after has hauntingly green eyes and wears a cloak."

Damien turned to the officer visably twitching as he points to the trainer "But he's still forced people to battle, and tried to attack a Pokemon ranger."

Officer Jenny sighed in annoyance "Battling isn't against the law plus you don't look hurt."

Rowan's granddaughter nodded "So what will you do with him?"

Officer Jenny turned looking over her shoulder "He's free to go he didn't break the law."

The trainer feeling he was out of trouble slowly back away. Before he could get too far Damien grabbed him by the arm stopping his escape. He shivered at Damien's ruby eyed glare.

The trainer tried to pull his arm free from Damien's grip to no avail "Let me go man she said I didn't do anything wrong."

"Not until you tell me why all you used was a Blaziken and you never healed him, I can take you in for neglect after the way you pushed him in those battles." Damien glared down at him "What's you're name kid?"

The trainer glared back at Damien "It's Evan not kid my blaziken is the only Pokemon I need and my healing routine is none of your business."

Damien pulled a black pouch from his pocket "I'm go on a let you go on one condition."

Evan blinked at him"What is it?"

Damien smirked "I have a friend in Shalour City would you mind taking this pouch back to her?"

Slowly Evan took the pouch "And it not gonna explode or anything will it?"

Damien grinned "It's just some Pokemon she let me borrow relax."

With that he turned walking away leaving them standing there confused. Quickly Rowan's granddaughter blinked away her confusion and followed Damien. He didn't show any sign that he knew she was behind him until she was a step behind him.

He looked at her with an odd look in his eyes "It's been awhile Lara."

Lara smiled at him "Damien it's only be two days remember we met at grandfather's lab."

He turned smiling at her over his shoulder "Do you have a place to stay?"

Lara's smile widen slightly as she nodes "Yep I sure do ,you wanna where?"

He rose an inky brow at her "So where are you staying?"

She grabbed his arm "I'm staying with you silly."

He blinked at her "Who said I'd let you ?"

She robbed her head against his arm " Come on please I don't know anyone else."

He grumbled looking at his feet "Fine i think I can spare the room."

She smiled stepping back lacing their fingers together " Come on then it's late and i wanna sleep."


	3. Chapter 3

Dust filled the air like fog as the door swung into the wall with an echoing thud. Damien entered lazily carrying a shiny ditto in his hand, it's blue puddle of a body wrapped around his hand. Lara was behind him moving in a zombie barely lifting her feet as she walked. Damien used his free hand like a fan as he walked to the window letting some of the dust out.

Lara looks around with a titred expression "So you live here?"

Damien returns his ditto as he turns to face her " Yeah I haven't had time to clean up."

Lara begins looking around the room her fatigue replaced with curiosity. He watched her from his place in the corner of the room as she explored the room. He had cases of the badges divided by the regions they're from, and photos of himself with gym leaders and other important trainers. A PC was against the far wall, a glass case hung from the wall with eight pokeballs inside each one with it's own label.

Lara pressed her face against the glass as she read the labels " Omastar , Kabutops, Cradily, Arnaldo, Rampardos, Baastidon, carracosta, Archeops, Tyrantrum, and Aurorus." She blinked turning to him " why do you have all the fossil Pokemon? "

With a frown he approached her " Those are the fossil Pokemon my parents were studying before the accident I've been able to find all but one the aerodactyl that killed them is still loose."

She stepped closer to him wrapping her arms around him " How old were you when they died?"

He pulled himself free from her embrace "I don't want to talk about it Lara."

She grabbed hand as he tried to walk away swiftly locking her fingers in his " Please Damien for Arceus sake you can't just put up walls."

He turned pulling her against his chest"Lara I was just turning nine when my parents died." He paused waiting for a sign she'd heard him " When I turned thirteen I joined the ranger academy."

She nodded against his chest "Yeah I was there remember ?"

He stared at the case holding the fossil Pokemon " I joined hoping that it could help track down the fossil Pokemon so far aerodactyl is staying off the radar."

"Let the aerdactyl go Damien." Her voice was a mumble against his chest

He frowned looking down at her " I can't Lara you know that."

She stepped back glaring at him "If it was violent it would have done something by now."

He slouched against the wall between the two doors in the hall " I'm going to find it Lara so my parents can rest in peace. "

She gave a weak smile fitting into his side resting her head on his chest " We'll find it just be patient." She gave a content sigh "You're comfy."

He looked down at her with a brow raised "Lara you still awake?"

She snuggled against him "No and you shouldn't be either."

He smirked at her "Alright then let's go to to bed."

Gentle as he could he lifted her into his arm and carried her into the bed room. The room's only furniture was a full sized bed against the far wall and a dresser next to the closet door and a wooden bedside table. The table had a lamp and a clock radio that blinked like it needed to be set. An old guitar with the coloring of a manectric sat against the dresser a lightening bolt shaped pick sticking out beneath the strings.

Damien gave the look a glance as he laid Lara on the bed " This room's emptier than I remember."

He got in the bed slowly trying not to disturb his sleeping guest before falling asleep himself. Lara stirred from the bed's movement, she turned to find Damien had already fallen asleep. With little thought she cuddled up to him before being reclaimed by sleep.

Shade's ear twitched at the sound of an opening door, slowly he lifted his head toward his master's bedroom that door was wide open. He could hear his master's breathing they were sleeping it was nothing he rested his head back on the fluffy flareon he'd cuddled up with on the couch.

"Well look what I found a shiny umbreon." Shade's eyes shot open to meet a pair of eerie green ones

This stranger appeared to have the same build as Lara with the exact same face, silver hair stock out of the shadows of her hood. Her form was covered in a long coat with a hood that shadowed her face a meowth perched on her shoulder.

The stranger stood from her crouch " If I were trying to hide something where would I put it?"

The meowth leaped from her shoulder and began to hop around the room. It showed no regard for the things it knocked to the floor in it's search. It froze skidding to a stop as the fossil display case met it's eye.

The trainer turned seeing her Pokemon had stop it's search "Did you find something Klepto?"

Klepto turned to her nodding as it pointed to the case.

The trainer scanned the case before smirking "Klepto this is a major score imagine what we can get for these."

"How did you get in here?" Damien asked from the other side of the room

Thief turned slowly a calm expression on her face "So you're Damien Cruise I thought a professor's nephew would have some brains." She pulled out a key "Why do you think you couldn't find your key."

Damien walked over and snatched the key "So you're the reason I had to unlock my door with my ditto."

The thief rolled her eyes as she picked up Klepto "If you'll excuse me we need to be leaving now."

Before Damien could respond he was blinded by a flash of white light. The thief bolted as he slid to the floor his hands over his eyes.

The thief sat on the ledge of the neighboring building laughing to herself "Idiot acts like he'd never been flashed in the eyes before."

Klepto sat on her lap watching with an unending gaze. Slowly it began bopping it's trainer on the nose trying to get her attention.

The thief stopped laughing "What is it Klepto?"

Klepto motioned to Damien's living room where Lara had come running in.

The thief froze at the sight of Lara's face "She looks like me."


End file.
